Hello, just joining D-Word. Working on first documentary project
which I'm writing, and exploring directorial options. Coming from
the world of film music recording & mixing in LA. But now I have
this documentary itch... and an opportunity to pursue it, so I'm
setting sail to the filmmaking world, but docking in D-Word for a
while first. Greetings to all!

Hi im an aussie who is trying to make a doc with a german on a river
in china.(sounds like there should be a punchline) I want to know
everything there is to know but I'll start with. How do I get
funding? How much money is 6x1hr (great) docos worth? How much help
can we hope for from the 5 goverments of the countries we pass
through? p.s. this is a great site steve

Thanks for the reply dbblock, I still havnt found what a doco sells
for on the international market or domestic. My backers are very
interested in numbers for some reason(go figure eh?) even though we
hope to keep the cost below $12,000. Ours will of course be second
only to "The nature of Australia" by the ABC but substantialy
cheaper:-) I realise I'm asking "how long is a piece of string" but
any indication would be great. We will make it anyway but a bit of
funding will make it easier. (as i'm sure many will agree) steve

Hi everyone. I am just starting out in the world of documentary
filming. Other then filming my 4yr at the beach on weekends I have
no experience but I love filming and learning more about it, I guess
thats why we are all here. Anyways I'm working on my first
documentary this summer about the SteelBand Orchestra I am apart
of. So wish me luck as I wish you all luck on your various projects.

I am an undergraduate film student at the moment soon to be "taking a year
off" to develop my skill in the field. My filmmaking interests lie in
anthropological/ experimental/ productive social documentaries. I am fairly
unfamiliar with anything going on right now in these realms. I am idealistic,
confident, and without responsibilities. I am going to go wherever the art takes
me and my sensibilities allow. I wish all with luck in shaping a life that makes
the most sense to you.

I've been making radio for years - much of it educationally oriented,
for kids and for African teachers. That has led to some teacher
training video programs and international project documentation...
and I've done some short videos of musicians in China, Brazil,
Haiti... My musical interests are perrenial... no, make that
constant. Just returned from producing a song for HIV/AIDS awareness
in Benin - a sort of "We Are the World" concept with Beninois pop
musicians and now am trying to get support for a music video of that
piece. Also have a number of unfinished things in the can, e.g. our
daughter as a young viewer's guide to Ethiopia, also a piece fully
shot on project-based interdisciplinary learning in high schools. But
so much remains unfinished when financing is elusive. Happy to see
what's going on here and learn from ya'll.

Hi all -- just a documentary fan here with no connection to the
industry, save for the fact that I'm approaching 150 docs on DVD. I
fancy myself a self-directed, self-taught documentary lover -- but I
limit myself to documentaries on DVD. Unfortunately, some of the
best documentaries arent yet on DVD -- almost everything by Errol
Morris, Hearts of Darkness, etc., etc. I think documentaries on DVD
have some unique advantages. Namely, the extra material can be
particularly insightful and illuminating -- more so than the
commentary track on a blockbuster movie. Anyway, I'm very happy to
have found this forum.

My name is Riley, and I've been making docs about outdoor and
adventure sports for the last 4 years. I love all kinds of
documentaries (and even a few fictional films) - but have chosen
a niche that i am particularly passionate about in order to
(hopefully) develop something of a reputation in the industry. It
has been a long road, but i'm finally making a living doing film
and video work (much of it commercial) - so i'm thrilled about
that. I was born in Seattle, and live and work here now, but hope
to move to a smaller town at some point in the future.

I've been on Mount Everest for each of the last 2 springs, so it
feels a little weird to not be in the himalaya this spring. In 2002, I
was working on the South Side for Discovery.com documenting
an expedition about American Women trying to climb the peak,
and in 2001, I was on the North Side with a group trying to solve
mountaineering greatest mystery: Did Mallory and Irvine summit
the peak first in 1924 and die on the way down? Or, was Hillary
the first to summit in '53 (he was certainly the first to come down
alive). Long story short, I ended up making a feature about the
2001 trip called 'found on everest.'

Before that, I worked as something of a video journalist for
mountainzone.com (when they still had funding) - and before
that, I made 2 films about ski town culture - which is essentially
how i started learning about documentary filmmaking. A process
that continues, and won't stop for some time to come.

I've started my tapes in the 'tape bin' rounds. Sarah George has
them now, so contact her if you have any interest in seeing the
films.

I'm in between projects right now, developing some ideas, and
doing freelance work. I'm always interested in helping out with
other projects, as a shooter, editor, or just about anything else -
so keep me in mind for that.

I've been grateful to read many of the helpful posts here on
D-word, and will continue to check in. thanks gang!

bran-newbie to d-word forums... and glad to be here... planning
to jump in and train to shoot/edit (at dv dojo) after years working
as producer/pm in tv/film. had the opportunity to see a screening
of "homepage" at dojo earlier tonite... thank you doug -- i really
enjoyed it. Look forward to learning lots from all the folks here...

Welcome, Karen. And thanks for coming to the screening. It was fun
to see Home
Page again -- haven't watched it in at least two years. It's
still strange to realize that this forum and this community -- now
over 700 members from 44 countries-- was a direct outgrowth of that
film.

Hello
I'm currently living in Cape Town, South Africa. I've just started
working on my first doc. We're following the life of a pre-apartheid
political activist who was imprisoned on Robbin Island for 15 years
with Nelson Mandela and Walter Sisulu. that's the basic idea anyway.
As this is my first project, I'm hoping to find out all I can about
funding, distribution and sales and what to look out for.
Best of luck to all those out there with their projects.

Hi I am just joining and I have just made the decision to go ahead;
after much foot dragging; and jump ahead with a documentary of sorts.
I am just a little timid about this but I am gonna plow ahead with it
anyway. Any advice for first timers would be greatly appreciated!

Hello all. Like Joy above, I've finally decided to take the plunge
into documentary. And what a daunting yet addictively invigorating
plunge it's been thusfar! I did my undergrad in literature and
recently decided to pull up stakes, so to speak, and transplant
myself from Montana to Scotland for film school. After a ridiculous
amount of utterly unnecessary worry, I've finally decided it's all or
nothing and am jumping in headfirst with my first documentary. I'm
still in the pre production phase, but it seems to have grown to
unexpected and somewhat daunting proportions all by itself. So my big
challenge right now is to orient myself as to what sort of structure
and form I would ultimately like the film to take. So, as general as
that is, any insights or recommendations (and I do mean any) about
first time documentary making would be happily received. So, thanks
and luck to you all.